PDA

View Full Version : The Morning After: Week 6



Denver Native (Carol)
10-20-2009, 02:13 PM
http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=9495

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- With an extra week to prepare for the Broncos defense, the Chargers offense had found a first-half foothold.

Philip Rivers completed 11-of-16 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown. Denver's pass rush mustered one sack for seven yards, on a cornerback blitz by Andre Goodman.

Staring at a 20-17 deficit entering the locker room, defensive captain D.J. Williams knew it was time for the front seven to clamp down.

"I don't like going into halftime down, but we came in - spoke about what we saw on the film," he said. "(Coach) Nolan told us what he saw upstairs. We came in together, came up with a few new things - wrinkles - to see if we could get some pressure."

Those wrinkles once again turned into results. Facing a halftime deficit for the third straight week, the Broncos limited the Chargers to three second-half points, shutting them out over the game's final 23 minutes.

Much of that success can be attributed to pressuring the quarterback when it counts. Williams had one of four second-half sacks and three second-half forced fumbles on Rivers.

That pass rush molded the Chargers into a one-dimensional team, as they were limited to 31 rushing yards over the final 30 minutes.

"He's a good quarterback, very accurate, so we've got to get him out of the pocket and get him out of his game," Ronald Fields said. "Once you get back there he gets antsy -- no quarterback is comfortable when somebody's in their face all the time and they've got to get off their spot."

SCHEFFLER SUCCEEDS AGAIN IN SAN DIEGO
Entering Monday Night's contest, Tony Scheffler had succeeded in many spots against the division-rival Chargers.

Six career games against San Diego had resulted in eighteen catches for 279 yards. Five of his 12 career touchdown catches came with powder blue and yellow on the opposing sideline.

None of that changed Monday night, as Scheffler led the Broncos with a team-high six catches for 101 yards and another touchdown.

"We just so happened to get the matchup that we like and were able to take advantage of it," Scheffler said. "Kyle Orton has done a great job of leading that offense and not making mistakes. When everything's mixing together like that, it's fun to be out there."

Scheffler was "out there" on several occasions. Lining up at wide receiver, the 6-foot-5 tight end exploited his size on smaller San Diego safeties.

Trailing 23-17 in the closing minutes of the third, Orton saw Scheffler in 1-on-1 coverage on the right sideline against 5-foot-11 Eric Weddle. He pump faked and lofted the ball over Scheffler's outside shoulder for the go-ahead touchdown.

"He put that ball where it needed to be and I was able to get open just a little bit," Scheffler said.

In the closing minutes of the fourth, Orton again spotted Scheffler 1-on-1 with Weddle on that same right sideline. Snagging the eight-yard hitch route, Scheffler spun around Weddle, racing downfield for a 52-yard gain.

Three plays later, Orton found Brandon Stokley for a five-yard touchdown and an insurmountable double-digit lead. Scheffler was quick to credit Weddle for presenting a stiff challenge on both plays.

"He's a good player, he tried to go for the game-winning interception there and I was able to slip by him," Scheffler smiled. "I tried to get into that end zone, but I couldn't quite make it."

DUMERVIL DIGGING FOR MORE RESULTS
When Elvis Dumervil was drafted by the Broncos in 2006, he was lauded for entering the league as college football's sack champion.

A new position and new defensive scheme has given Dumervil the opportunity to collect the same crown in the pros.

With a pair of sacks against San Diego, Dumervil moved into sole possession of the NFL league-lead with 10 sacks this season. That 10th sack came at a crucial juncture, with two minutes left in the third quarter and the Chargers at the edge of Broncos territory.

Facing 3rd-and-3 from midfield, Rivers dropped back to pass, but Dumervil stripped him of the ball. The fumble was recovered by Vonnie Holliday and the Broncos converted the turnover into a field goal to take a 27-23 lead.

That miscue placed the Chargers offense in a touchdown-necessary mode over the final quarter.

"It is hard to get to 10," Dumervil said. "Every sack guy knows that ... It is always a tough one. It was good to enjoy that with the teammates."

Dumervil had reached that 10-sack mark back in 2007, with 12.5 quarterback stops in his sophomore season with the Broncos. When asked about his chances to match or break Simon Fletcher's 1992 club record of 16 sacks, Dumervil credited Fletcher for his rushing skills.

But Dumervil's main interests were more associated with the path of the entire 53-man roster.

"We'll see what happens," Dumervil said. "Most important thing is that we are 6-0. That has been great for us. We've just got to continue to work hard and get better."

TXBRONC
10-20-2009, 02:56 PM
I didn't realize that Scheffler had that good of numbers against the Chargers.